April 20, 2008
Dear Citizen:
I have been
your legislator representing Legislative District 7 in the Cayuga County
Legislature since January 1, 2002; Legislative District 7 is made up of
the towns of Ledyard, Scipio and Springport and includes the villages of
Aurora in the town of Ledyard and Union Springs in the town of Springport.
On January
2, 2008, I was appointed to three legislative standing committees for
the 2008 calendar year, they are: Government Operations, Judicial &
Public Safety and Planning & economic Development.
Government Operations provides oversight
for:
Board of
Elections
Budget officer
Community
College
County Attorney
County Clerk/DMV
County Legislature
County Manager
Education
Historian
Information Technology
Legislative & Rules
Military
Records Retention
Veterans
Judicial & Public Safety provides oversight for:
Assigned
Counsel
Commissioner of Jurors
Communication System (911)
Coroner
District Attorney
Fire
Grand Jury
Justices & Constables
Office of Emergency
Management
Probation
Sheriff
Planning and Economic Development provides oversight for:
Agriculture
Cooperative
Extension
Energy
Environmental
Management
Planning
Board
Publicity
Soil &
Water
Tourism
Water Quality
Management
Water &
Sewer
On January
22, 2008, I was appointed to serve as the Cayuga County Legislative Liaison
to Auburn Memorial Hospital. In that capacity
I will attend the board meetings as a non-voting guest. I will provide monthly reports to all members
of the County Legislature.
The public
is welcome at any meeting of the legislature or any committee as well;
Always call the Clerk of the Legislature or check the web calendar to confirm
a meeting date and time if you desire to attend a meeting. If you desire to speak at a meeting contact me
and I will have your name put on the agenda for the meeting. Check the web for the Cayuga County Meeting and
Events Calendar. The URL is http://www.co.cayuga.ny.us/lclerk/cal.html
No elected
official can truly serve the citizens of Ledyard, Scipio and Springport
without keeping in close contact with the people he represents. I will keep in close touch with the elected officers
of the town and village boards located in my district.
I will attend village and town board meetings when I do not have
legislative conflicts. I also will always welcome
communication from everyone I represent. Call,
write or e-mail me with your concerns.
Phone : (315)
889-5585
Write: P.O.
Box 1, Union Springs, NY 13160
E-mail:
gfearon@rochester.rr.com
To see the
consistency of my position on key issues go to the link below and view
this evolving web page that I started in 2001.
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://home.rochester.rr.com/gfearon/
State of the County
Address
March 29, 2007
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures191/Press3_29.html
Commencement Address
Union Springs Central
School District
June 25, 2006
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures168/Friday.htm
Gardening Magazine
Article
Winter 2005
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures207/fearon/articleweb/
Martin
Luther King day speech
January
18, 2008
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures222/King_01-19-08.htm
Pertinent
Web Links -- Legislative District Seven
COMMERCIAL:
Aurora Arts and Merchants
Association
http://www.auroranewyork.com/
The Aurora Inn
http://www.aurora-inn.com/
Aurora Shoe Company
http://www.aurorashoes.com/
Cayuga Lake National
Bank
http://www.cayugalakenationalbank.com/
Dill's Run Bed and
Breakfast
http://www.dillsrun.com
Genson Overhead Door,
Inc.
http://www.gensondoor.com/
Long Point Winery,
Ltd.
http://www.longpointwinery.com/
Mackenzie-Childs
http://www.mackenzie-childs.com
Pumpkinhill Bistro
http://www.pumpkinhill.us
Sandy Stone
Stone Travel Agency
E-mail: sandy@stonetravel.com
Talbothays Book
E-mail: talbooks@swns.net
Trillium Graphics
http://www.auroranewyork.com/trillium/
EDUCATIONAL:
Peachtown Elementary
School
http://www.cayuganet.org/~peachtown/
Southern Cayuga Central
School District
http://www.southerncayuga.org/index.htm
Union Springs Central
School District
http://www.uscsd.info/welcome.cfm
Wells College
http://www.wells.edu/
EMERGENCY SERVICES:
Aurora Volunteer Fire
Department
http://www.avfd.net/
Southern Cayuga
Instant Aid Inc.
Ambulance service for
Scipio, Poplar Ridge, Genoa, King Ferry and Long Hill.
http://www.geocities.com/southerncayuga/
ENERGY:
Fenner Windpower Project
Located on-site at the Fenner Wind Farm in the heart of Central
New York. The Fenner Wind Farm has been featured on History
Channel's Modern Marvels.
www.fennerwind.com
http://www.powernaturally.org/programs/wind/toolkit.asp
ENVIRONMENTAL:
Cayuga Lake Watershed
Network
http://www.cayugalake.org/
Maintaining Your Septic
System
Special Considerations for Shoreline Property Owners
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/counties/Tompkins/environment/septic/ss-2.html
Owasco Watershed Lake
Association
http://www.owla.org
Septic System
-- What to do if you have a failure
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/counties/Tompkins/environment/septic/ss-1.html
GOVERNMENT:
Aurora, (Village of)
http://co.cayuga.ny.us/aurora/
http://auroranewyork.us
Aurora Village (another
Village of Aurora web site)
http://www.auroranewyork.com/
Cayuga County Government
-- General information http://www.co.cayuga.ny.us/index.html
Cayuga County Map
http://www.cayugacounty.us/maps/municipalities.htm
Finch, Gary D., State
Assembly 123rd District, representing Ledyard & Springport
http://www.garyfinch.net/
Kolb, Brian M., State
Assembly 129th District, representing Scipio
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/ad=129
Ledyard, (Town of)
http://co.cayuga.ny.us/ledyard/
Nozzolio, Michael
F., State Senate 54th District, representing Ledyard, Scipio & Springport
http://www.senatornozzolio.com/
New York State Government
http://www.ny.gov/
Scipio, (Town of)
http://co.cayuga.ny.us/scipio/
Springport, (Town
of)
http://co.cayuga.ny.us/springport/
STAR: School Tax Relief
http://www.orps.state.ny.us/star/index.cfm
Union Springs, (Village
of)
http://co.cayuga.ny.us/unionsprings/
Upstate Citizens for
Equality
http://www.upstate-citizens.org/
HISTORICAL
& CULTURAL:
Frontenac Historical
Society http://members.aol.com/mhecht7725/FRONTENAC/
Genoa Historical Association http://www.cayuganet.org/genoa.rural.life.museum/
Howland Stone Store
Museum
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nycayuga/howland/index.htm
Morgan Opera House
http://www.flls.org/auroralib/MOH.htm
Sandie Stoker Gilliland
Town of Scipio Historian BLOG
http://scipiocenterny.blogspot.com/
LIBRARIES:
Aurora Free Library
http://www.flls.org/auroralib/
Poplar Ridge - Hazard
Library
http://hawk.flls.org/poplar/
Springport Free Library,
(in Union Springs)
http://www.flls.org/springport/main.htm
Wells College Library
http://www.wells.edu/library/li1.htm
ORGANIZATIONS/CLUBS:
Union Springs Lions Club
http://www.unionspringslions.com
RELIGIOUS:
Casowasco Conference
Center
http://www.casowasco.org/
Good Shepherd Catholic
Community Serving; Aurora, King
Ferry, Moravia and Union Springs
http://www.thegoodshepherd.cc
Village of Aurora (315)
364-7293, Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Poplar Ridge Friends
Meeting
http://www.quaker.org/poplar/index.html
TOURISM:
Route 90 Scenic Byway
http://cayuganet.org/route90/
ISSUES:
Contaminated Water
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures207/fearon/ContaminatedWater.htm
Where I Stand on Indian
Land Claims:
Our nation
was founded on July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence, which
stated that all men are created equal. On July 19, 1848, in Seneca
Falls, New York, the Declaration of Sentiments stated that all men and
women are created equal. This concept of
equality is the cornerstone of our national philosophy. The primary
reason we fought both the American Revolution and the Civil War was the
idea of equality and the rights that are associated with that concept.
Understandably, some of us are taller or shorter, richer or poorer, and
represent different racial and religious backgrounds, in addition to many
other differences among people. The bottom
line is that each of us has the same rights and privileges as Bill Gates.
We each have the right to vote. We also have the obligation to pay
taxes and are subject to all of the laws of the land.
As I see it, we are all on a level line, no one above and no one
below.
I do not support
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. I
do not support any Native Americans being exempt from paying property
taxes. I do not support Native Americans selling tobacco, alcoholic
beverages and gasoline with any exemptions from paying or collecting the
taxes on these products. I believe this is
not just a local problem but that, in fact, it is a national problem.
Inevitably,
the federal government must deal with this problem and reestablish the
equality of all peoples in our nation. At the same time, because
I believe in the equality of all humankind, I welcome anyone of any race
or ethnicity as my friend and neighbor, as long as we respect each other
as absolute equals.
On June 17,
1858, Abraham Lincoln stated in his House Divided speech,
ÒA
house divided against itself cannot stand.Ó This point relates
to my thinking about all so-called Indian land claims and their ultimate
resolutions. I believe our government cannot endure permanently
with some citizens paying tax and others exempt from paying tax.
I do not expect our government to fall; I do, however, expect that we
must cease to be divided into citizens who pay taxes and citizens who
are exempt from taxes. It must become either one or the other, and
we certainly cannot all be exempt. Ultimately, I am certain our
government will not allow the continued expansion of tax-exempt citizenry
because it would threaten the very survival of the republic itself.
In our country
we too often do nothing about our problems until they reach a crisis
stage. There remain several unanswered questions. First, when will
we reach the crisis stage? Next, when will our federal officials
finally begin listening to the taxpaying citizens? Are the actions
some individuals are currently taking effective in communicating our feelings
to those who have the power to resolve the issue? Are the actions of some
individuals actually counter-productive? Finally,
and most importantly, what, if anything, can we as a unified citizenry
do to influence the timeframes on this issue?
(Printed in The Citizen on 11-29-01)
Is a Bingo Hall in
Cayuga County a positive or a negative addition to our local economy?
Two economics
professors, Earl L. Grinols of the University of Illinois, and David
B. Mustard of the University of Georgia, are highly respected in their
profession. They are objective scholars who
had no vested interest in the outcome of their research. Together they have conducted exhaustive studies
on the positive and negative effects of having gaming facilities in an
area. Ultimately they concluded that for
every $1.00 dollar generated by a casino, the cost to the community was
$1.90--one dollar and ninety cents!
One may ask
how can that be. On the surface it is obvious that temporary jobs
are created during construction. Permanent
jobs would be created to maintain and service the Bingo Hall. The
most obvious job creation would be for the people working in the Bingo Hall.
Tourism in the county would be enhanced. It is also possible that
something more than initial donations would be received from the Seneca-Cayuga
Tribe of Oklahoma. One cannot factor in such donations with any real
assurance that they would continue in the long term, since the tribe has
made it clear that it will not agree to any binding, permanent agreement
to pay taxes or make other similar payments on an annual basis.
Although the
research I read was done on the positive and negative effects of casinos,
I believe that the same research would apply to bingo operations, with
the only difference being the size of the operation.
On the negative
side of their findings, several items stand out. In a comparison
of crime rates in every county in the United States, Professor Grinols
discovered that crime in casino counties was 8-10% greater than in non-casino
counties. Other social and economic costs included increased rates
of illness, stress, depression, anxiety, welfare, food stamps, divorce,
separation, spousal abuse, child neglect and suicide.
For example, the suicide rate in Las Vegas is 2.5 times the national
average. Pathological gamblers are responsible for
most of the negative costs. The rate of pathological gamblers in the
population is about double the national average within fifty miles of a
casino. Our nation has an estimated fifteen million pathological gamblers
and the number is growing as more and more gambling sites are constructed.
There are other factors that should be considered to get a wider view of
the impact of a Bingo Hall. The people of the area only have so many
dollars to spend on anything. If they spend more on gambling, then
they have less left to spend on everything else. If less is spent
on everything else, business in the area suffers. Area businesses
will likely end up cutting employees, which reduces the gains made by the
new jobs at the Bingo Hall. The Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma says
they will sell tobacco, and they do not rule out selling gasoline. They do not plan to pay any excise taxes on such
sales, and that would make it very difficult for our local businesses to
compete. Not paying the state excise tax of fifteen dollars per carton
would cost the State of New York over one hundred million dollars per year
if cigarette sales in our state were to match what the tribe sells elsewhere.
In the end,
one of the most unfortunate parts of having more gambling in an area
is that with the transfer of money that occurs, the poor end up with less
and those who are already rich end up with more.
(printed
in the Post Standard and the Citizen)
An open letter to
Clint Halftown:
You may be
baffled by the fact that some of your fellow United States citizens express
their objections to the way the Cayuga tribe does business. As you are aware, some citizens refuse to buy tobacco
or gasoline from the tribe. Some citizens also participate in public
demonstrations against tribal enterprises. I am one of the concerned
citizens who on occasion write letters to area newspapers discussing
why we object to the way the tribe currently does business.
As a whole,
our primary objection to tribal enterprises is that you collect and pay
no taxes on products you sell. We consider this to be grossly unfair
to competing businesses. As you are aware, the Supreme Court of
the United States of America has for twenty-three years upheld the right
of states to collect all appropriate state taxes on goods and services
sold or provided to all non-tribal members. The U.S. Supreme Court
stated in its 1980 decision, Washington State v. Confederated Tribes,
ÒWe do not believe that principles of federal Indian law, whether
stated in terms of pre-emption, tribal self-government, or otherwise, authorize
Indian tribes thus to market an exemption from state taxation to persons
who would normally do their business elsewhere.Ó The Court
also noted that the State of Washington had the right to seize unstamped
cigarettes to enforce its valid taxes. The collection by tribal businesses
of sales and excise taxes from non-member customers is legal, and it is
fair. I am sure that you are aware of the many court cases based
on Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States
that have repeatedly supported the Washington State decision.
You claim
that to pay such taxes is an affront to tribal sovereignty. The reality
is that tribal sovereignty in the United States is defined by actions
of Congress, which the Supreme Court has ruled has an intrinsic power
to deal with Indian nations in the United States. The reality is
that Indian sovereignty is in fact a dependent sovereignty not equal to
the type of sovereignty held by the independent nations of the world.
States are also limited in the scope of their sovereignty. The Tenth
Amendment to the Constitution makes it clear that states only have powers
not delegated to the United States and not prohibited by the Constitution.
The independent nations of the world, unlike American Indian tribes,
are full sovereigns. Fully sovereign nations of the world follow
certain rules and regulations attempting to promote and maintain a peaceful
and environmentally safe world. The concept of tribal sovereignty
you appear to be claiming puts you above all of the independent nations
of the world. Some of us do choose to recognize a sovereign that
is above all others, and that entity we refer to as our creator.
Although the state currently does not collect from your enterprises the
taxes allowed by law, we choose not to commit a class E felony in the State
of New York by driving down public roads using untaxed fuel. We are
well aware that every cent of taxes that you are not paying to the state
must be made up by other forms of revenue, for government rarely chooses
to operate with reduced income. Ultimately, we
hope to be able to establish a relationship with you in which fairness
rules the day. Such a relationship would be based on the concept
of equality of all people, regardless of their ancestry or their lifestyle.
We hope to work with you and have you work with us in developing this area
to its potential for the mutual benefit of all citizens.
(Printed in the Post
Standard and the Citizen)
